Understood. My point is that the 2019 roster will mostly be made up of major league minimum players- possible arb eligible guys like Abreu and Avi, and a few other higher salaries (like Anderson).

I believe we have 3-4 legit bullpen prospects- I advocate spending some money on a few quality bullpen FA's- it's the ONLY area of the entire roster I would make this investment in- it does not stunt the rebuild, and is something we can afford to do- I don't think a 3rd consecutive season of a dumpster fire bullpen, blowing late leads is a good idea if we can avoid it- both for the development of the team itself as well as for a fan base starved for some progress.

I'm not really against this, I guess I just don't see the point. Investing in the bullpen is important for a contender, but what exactly does it buy this team in 2019? A few more wins... to what end? Long term, all that really serves is for a higher draft pick.

More so than any other team sport, baseball is all about individual talent and performances. The most important thing in 2018, 2019, and maybe even 2020 is to develop that young talent. I fail to see how a stronger bullpen and more wins in 2019 is going to help turn the young players (Moncada, Anderson, Eloy, and the young pitchers) into better players in 2020-2025.

The players on this team aren't naive... they know this season is more about player development than team results. I can see how this could wear on veterans like Abreu and Shields. But guys like Moncada and Anderson are out there every day trying to prove they belong in this league. Literally, there entire livelihoods and future careers are staked to it (though both have made enough money already to be set for a long time). How much more motivation do they really need?

I agree that team chemistry is important, and that winning can be contagious. But it will be important to the team in 2020-2025, when they actually have something to play for, rather than 2019.

More specifically regarding the bullpen... there are more than 3-4 legitimate bullpen prospects in the Sox organization. Off the top of my head, Fry, Bummer, Burdi, Hamilton, Burr, and Thompson have all had varying degrees of success in a bullpen role. Then there are current starters who might not make the rotation but could have a future in the bullpen (Fullmer, Stephens, Flores, Guerrero, Clarkin, etc.). Then there are a bunch of starters currently in the lower ranks, who may be ready in the next few years and just have to bide their time in the bullpen until a starting spot opens up.